No Place Like Jones
Family Updates for the Week of March 27, 2023
Principal Corner
Ira B. Jones Families:
We are a few days away from spring break! I'm sure this beautiful weather has you excited and looking forward to spring and a much needed break. As a reminder, Spring Break is April 3-7, 2023. We will only have 9 weeks of school left after spring break. Time is winding down, and I want our students focused, present, and highly engaged during the last stretch of the school year.
Career Day Event. What a huge success!! Over 25 parent and community volunteers joined us and shared their careers with our students. The students were very excited to learn about the different career pathways they can take as a profession. It's never too early for them to get interested or start thinking about what they want to do after graduating high school. Thank you for sharing your expertise with our students! Check out pictures on our FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/irabjones/
REMINDERS:
- Friday, March 31, is an early release day. Students get out of school at noon.
- We end the 3rd quarter on Friday, March 31.
- The last quarter of the school year will include several assessments our students must take, including End of Grade Testing (EOGs) for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.
- Report cards will go home on Monday, April 17.
- Please continue to remind and review with your students about school-expected behaviors. I appreciate your support in this area.
- Cell phones have become a huge distraction for many of our students. Cell phones should not be brought to school. If, for some reason, your child needs to bring their cell phone to school one day, they need to take it to the office first thing and pick it up at the end of the day. If we take your student's phone from them, you will have to come to pick it up. As a reminder, the school is not responsible for the loss, theft, or damage of a cell phone brought to school.
I invite you to visit our school's website and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/irabjones/ and follow us on Twitter @Principal_IBJ and Instagram @IraB.JonesElementary. These will serve as a resource tool for all upcoming events, the student/family handbook, and important reminders, and you can catch up with all the wonderful things our students and teachers are doing.
As a school leader and a parent, I understand the necessity of healthy communication between families and the school. I welcome your questions, celebrations, or concerns at any time. You can call the school at 828.350.6700 or email me at ruafika.cobb@acsgmail.net.
In Partnership,
Ruafika A. Cobb
Principal
Ira B. Jones Elementary School
#noplacelikejones
At Jones, we are committed to ensuring that every student becomes a proficient reader and develops a love of reading. We are very excited about our upcoming IBJ Read Together Day! On Tuesday, March 28 from 8:15 until 9:15, our entire school community will celebrate the magic of books by spending time reading independently and listening to read alouds. We will even have some special guest readers join in the fun. If you’d like to participate, please contact your student’s teacher. This event was planned and supported by the FTO as a fundraiser for our media center. They secured donations from 2 local businesses: Joel Adams Financial Advisors and Rebecca Sandoval State Farm Insurance. We thank those folks and the FTO for their support of our school.
Again, we want to encourage you to designate a special time at home where you can put aside all distractions and enjoy some books together as a family.
a Maker Faire
Asheville Maker Faire will be held at AB Tech on Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 10 am-3 pm.
Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness and a celebration of the Maker movement.
Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and share what they have learned.
A short video about the Maker Faire is HERE.
Maker Faires happen worldwide, but Asheville is the only city holding a Maker Faire in North Carolina in 2023.
Notes from the Counseling Corner with Ms. Courtney, School Counselor
IBJ Career Day 2023
Thank you to all of our amazing parent and community presenters and parent volunteers that made the Jones Career Day event possible. I am incredibly grateful for the time, expertise, and experience you shared with our students. Your efforts, time, and energy made this event possible!
Career days create an opportunity for partnership between our school, families, and the greater community to show students potential careers to consider in the postsecondary world. The world becomes much bigger for students when they enter elementary school. They are exposed to a wide range of activities in various subjects, and they engage in activities that help them develop skills and identify interests.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Your student may be able to answer this question! This is a good thing because it shows that your student is not only thinking about careers but is also starting to identify with some of them. Still, their career interests may change, and if/when they do, they can change quickly. What matters is that your student gets exposure to a wide range of careers; doing so at a young age is excellent, as there is little pressure for your student to commit to a career.
Doing well in school, knowing some of their skills and abilities, and getting along with peers are all very important for students. When students can identify what they can do well, they can better identify careers that suit them. Even as students transition from elementary to middle school, understanding their interests can impact the electives they choose to explore in their secondary education. A key component of career exploration at this developmental stage is that all students understand that everyone has inherent strengths and skills that will add value to the workforce and that each student has a place in the workforce.
Check out pictures on our FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/irabjones/
THANK YOU FOR DONATING TO THE MANNA FOOD DRIVE! WE COLLECTED A LOT OF FOOD!
Students Manna Food Drive 2023 Update
Dear IBJ Families,
Mrs. Cobb, the Students Support Team, and our Student Council want to thank you and appreciate you all for your participation in the Students Manna Food Drive Program 2023. Our school donated many pounds of non-perishable foods.
The Manna Food office reported that over 400 lbs of food were donated. We are so grateful for always responding to the needs of our Students and Community.
Thank you so much.
Ms. Abby
School Social Worker
New Data Manager
Please join me in welcoming Abby Walker, new Data Manager, to the Jones Community. Plese read her bio below.
My name is Abby Walker. I am a wife and mother to a fun, wild 3 year old named Lux Liam who is my greatest accomplishment. I’m originally from Florida but have lived in North Carolina for most of my life. I enjoy reading, cooking, and refurbishing old furniture in my spare time. I look forward to working with each and every one of you here at Ira B Jones Elementary.
We Need Your Help!
Candance Pickens Memorial Park
IBJ Families & Community Partners:
We're looking for volunteers to help rebuild this playground (formerly known as the Jones Park) as was done back in 1999. The build dates scheduled are October 4 - 8. Here is a link to our website with information on how to sign up: https://www.rebuildjonespark.org/
Upcoming Events
March 2022: Women's History Month
Tuesday, March 28: IBJ Read Together Day Event
Friday, March 31: End of Q3
Friday, March 31: Early Release Day for Students
Week of April 3 - 7: Spring Break
Wednesday, April 12: FTO Kicks off Dance-a-thon Fundraiser
Monday, April 17: Report Cards Go Home
Email: ruafika.cobb@acsgmail.net
Phone: 828.350.6700